Arsenal now warned PL rivals could soon ‘tempt’ Hale End gem away from Arteta

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Arsenal have been warned that Emile Smith Rowe could be persuaded to join Aston Villa.

Aston Villa have shown an interest in prising Emile Smith Rowe away from Arsenal in the past. 

In the summer of 2021, the north London club rejected multiple bids from the Midlands outfit for the midfielder, with one offer having been worth £30 million, as reported by Sky Sports. 

At that point, Smith Rowe’s stock was high, as he had recently established himself as a first team regular at the Emirates Stadium, having graduated from the club’s Hale End academy system, along with Bukayo Saka. In the 2021/22 season that followed Aston Villa’s initial interest, Smith Rowe kicked on again, netting ten times in the Premier League over the course of that term.

Since then, however, the four-cap England international’s career has faltered. Injuries allowed Gabriel Martinelli to come into the team on a more regular basis, and the Brazilian has now made the left-wing berth his own. Leandro Trossard’s arrival also served to push Smith Rowe even further down the pecking order.

Mikel Arteta has recently called on Smith Rowe to prove that he deserves to play. It seems, though, that the Spanish coach has lost a degree of faith in the player. 

At this stage in his career, Smith Rowe needs to be playing regularly. If Aston Villa were to come back in for him, the chance of more frequent game time and a reunion with former Arsenal boss Unai Emery could well be an enticing option.

Should Arsenal let Emile Smith Rowe go?

Journalist Dean Jones, speaking to GiveMeSport, certainly believes Villa Park would be an attractive destination to the Arsenal ace. He said, “Smith Rowe to Villa would be an interesting one to test out because he’s still not getting a look in at Arsenal. Because of the level that Villa have elevated themselves to, I think that that might have a bit of a different look at it if you were somebody like Smith Rowe, who’s on the fringes and knows he’s not going to become a big part anytime soon of what’s going on at Arsenal.”

“He could look across at Villa and think it’s pretty exciting. He could be a bigger part of it there than at the Emirates. So, it would be enticing for the player at some point. He seems adamant that he wants to stick this out at Arsenal, but it will come to a point where he will have a decision to make, and a team like Villa might be the one that proves to tempt him.”

Arsenal would also be wise to consider any serious approach for Smith Rowe. With Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira and Trossard all available to play in that part of the pitch, the Gunners could cope without the 23-year-old. 

Smith Rowe is a sellable asset, who should fetch a decent price given his potential. Arsenal are currently looking to make signings in midfield, and are looking for attacking additions too. However, they only have a very small transfer budget available to them at present. Selling Smith Rowe could fund a move for a player that Arteta would make greater use of.